Carles Gil Strikes Late as Revolution Rally Past Union 2-1 for Club-Record Home Start

Carles Gil has started treating the last few minutes of New England Revolution games like his own private stage. With three minutes left in regulation on a soaked Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, the ball broke to the captain in the center of the box, and he did not need a second look. One swing of the left foot, bottom right corner, and Foxborough was standing.

That finish completed a 2-1 comeback win over the Philadelphia Union, who had led since a 37th-minute own goal. Luca Langoni equalized in the 61st minute off a Gil assist, and the result gave New England a perfect 6-0-0 home record, which the Revs said is the best home start in club history.

A Wet First Half and a Cruel Bounce

In steady rain, New England had the ball, holding 62 percent of possession before the break by the club's count, and it nearly cashed in early when Gil slid Langoni into the right side of the box in the eighth minute. Langoni's low shot went wide. Philadelphia mostly settled for range, with Danley Jean Jacques sending efforts over in the ninth and 20th minutes and Ezekiel Alladoh pulling one wide in the 11th.

The Union lost right back Frankie Westfield to an injury in the 31st minute, with Olivier Mbaizo replacing him, and Jovan Lukic was booked three minutes later for a foul on Gil. Then came the bounce that tilted the night. Olwethu Makhanya launched a long ball over the top, Milan Iloski chased it, and Will Sands, scrambling back to stop the run, sent his attempted clearance into his own net. Philadelphia led 1-0 without putting a shot on target, the soccer equivalent of acing a test you never studied for. Indiana Vassilev was booked in first-half stoppage time, and the lead held to the break.

The Turning Point: Fofana, Then Langoni

Philadelphia, by the Union's count, took the first four shots of the second half. Cavan Sullivan headed over in the 54th minute, and Alladoh fired high off a fast break in the 57th. Then, in the 59th, Philadelphia came within a whisker of a two-goal cushion. Matt Turner saved a Sullivan shot from the left side of the box, the rebound fell to Alladoh in front, and Mamadou Fofana got his body in the way. ESPN logged it as a blocked shot. The Revs called it a goal-line clearance. Whatever the label, it was the play that kept New England breathing.

Two minutes later, the game was level. A Philadelphia clearance off a New England corner dropped to Gil, who found Langoni, and the Argentine winger shifted the ball onto his right foot and beat Andre Blake from outside the box. Bradley Carnell answered right away, sending on Bruno Damiani and Augustín Anello for Iloski and Alladoh. Marko Mitrović countered with Diego Fagúndez for Griffin Yow.

Gil Saves the Best for Last, Again

From there, New England leaned on the door. Dor Turgeman fired twice from distance in a two-minute span, and Peyton Miller, sprung by a lofted Fofana pass, skipped a low shot just wide in the 75th. Miller then headed a Fagúndez set piece wide in the 86th. One minute later, Matt Polster, who had entered in the 79th minute in his first appearance after a five-match injury absence, carried the ball through the middle. Turgeman got it to Gil with the help of a deflection, and Gil did the rest.

MLS said it was Gil's 53rd regular-season goal for the Revs, tying him with Fagúndez for second-most in club history. Fagúndez, fittingly, was on the field to see it. The Revs added that it was Gil's first career MLS goal against Philadelphia, that it came in his 100th regular-season appearance at Gillette Stadium, and that he has now scored or assisted in five straight league games. It was also his second straight late winner, after a stoppage-time penalty beat Charlotte FC a week earlier.

"The confidence is still better and better in the moment right now. It's amazing, but we want to continue like this," Gil told Apple TV's MLS 360.

Mitrović put it more simply. "A player who has his quality can change the game at any given moment, any given game," he said.

Langoni deserves a spotlight too. His equalizer was his second goal of the season and, per the Revs, his team-leading eighth goal contribution. Fofana made his 40th career MLS start and saved a goal. For Philadelphia, Jean Jacques and Alladoh each had three shots, and Geiner Martínez made his first MLS start in central defense, according to the Union. The Union also handed late minutes to 16-year-old homegrown Malik Jakupovic, who came on in the 73rd minute.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: New England 61.1 percent, Philadelphia 38.9 percent.
• Shots on goal: Two apiece. Both of New England's went in, so Blake finished without a save.
• Passing: New England completed 521 of 597 passes; Philadelphia completed 306 of 379.
• Corners: New England won nine to Philadelphia's three, and the equalizer grew out of one of them.
• Discipline: Philadelphia committed 16 fouls and collected three yellow cards. New England had eight fouls and none.

What It Means

New England moves to 7-1-3 with 22 points, and MLS said the win pushed the Revs into second place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind first-place Nashville SC. The Revs are unbeaten in seven league games, with six wins and a draw, and the club said it was the fourth time this season they have come from behind to win. Mitrović's seven wins are the most by a Revolution manager through 11 matches, and the club said he matched Bruce Arena for the best 11-game start by a head coach in its history.

Nashville comes to Foxborough on Wednesday night, a matchup MLS framed as a clash for first place in the East.

"We want to be a difficult team to play against," Mitrović said.

Philadelphia drops to 1-3-8 with six points and has gone five league matches without a win since beating CF Montréal on April 11, drawing three and losing two. The schedule offers no breather: the Union visit Orlando City SC on Wednesday night.

Closing Take

Gil waits for the final reel, like the guy who knows the post-credits scene is where the real story lives. Two weeks, two late winners, one club-record home start, and a Revolution side that keeps finding a way when the clock is against it. Mitrović summed up the vibe in one line.

"Our fighting spirit always has to be present," he said. On a wet night in Foxborough, it was, right up to the 87th minute.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com, with match notes from the New England Revolution (revolutionsoccer.net) and the Philadelphia Union (philadelphiaunion.com).